Message: Like Joseph we need to know our place in the Big Story, but in the end the only way to overcome bitterness is by submission to God in an act of faith.

You have probably noticed that I have been quoting a lot from Pope Francis. He is an extraordinary gift to the world and especially to us Catholics. Not that John Paul II and Benedict XVI were not great popes. Many of us feel deeply blessed to have served the Church under such a man as Blessed John Paul – and Pope Benedict who many consider to be the most brilliant theologian to hold the Chair of Peter.

Still, Francis – the first pope from the New World – has brought something radiant: a humility and joy that shine from him. On this Holy Family Sunday I would like talk about how he teaches us what St. Paul says: Avoid bitterness.

Bitterness poisons the human heart. It destroys relationships – especially in the family – and it condemns a person to a self-made hell. When the devil plants the flag of bitterness in the human heart, he says, “This soul belongs to me.” For that reason, St. Paul says, “Avoid bitterness.”

Before giving the prescription for bitterness, I would like to point out the example of Pope Francis: Bitterness often results when we fight battles. A person may be totally in the right and come away bitter. Pope Francis, however, shows that it is possible to fight great battles and not grow bitter. Let me briefly mention three.

The first battle was as superior of the Jesuits in Argentina. Many of the priests were so distressed at the misery caused by poverty that they wanted to that fight to become the full purpose of the order – to concentrate on eradicating unjust social structures and to put salvation of souls in the background. That was the first battle.

The second battle was with the Argentine government – a government that became so concerned with preserving order and combating violence that it allowed torture and other abuses.

The third battle was with the culture – a world-wide culture so concerned with an image of tolerance that it was willing to change the meaning of marriage.

As superior of the Jesuits and Cardinal of Buenos Aires, the future pope fought these battles with great energy. But he kept communication and respect for the other side – and by prayer, sometimes hours of prayer, he overcame the temptation to bitterness. The world sees that peace and respect in the pope’s soul and has acclaimed him Person of the Year.

Avoid bitterness. Pope Francis gives us a shining example and today’s readings provide a prescription for overcoming bitterness. It has two parts.

First in the Gospel: We can go a long way to overcoming bitterness if we know how our lives fit into the big story. If I am wrapped up in my own life, my own aches and pains, all the unfairness I see around me, I can easily become bitter. That could have happened to a family like one in the Gospel – driven out of their home and into exile in Egypt.

But Joseph and Mary knew the big story – how their ancestors wound up in Egypt and how God freed them.* They knew they were part of a bigger picture – a drama much greater than themselves. That’s why Matthew quotes the Hebrew Scriptures: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

So knowing the Big Story (the Bible) and how our lives relate to that story is a huge step in overcoming bitterness. There is something even more radical. Paul presents it in today’s second reading. It’s a word we don’t like to hear today – submission. St. Paul tells us to submit to one another and to God in Christ. Submission is a hard word, but an essential one. For Muslims it is the heart of their religion. Islam means submission, surrender to God. It is also a Christian word: Christ completely submitted his will to the Father – and through that act we come into union with Father.

Like Joseph we need to know our place in the Big Story, but in the end the only way to overcome bitterness is by submission to God in an act of faith.

It’s not easy. On New Year’s Day we will be talking about how Mary did it. And I will share a beautiful image of Mary – Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. More next Tuesday evening and Wednesday.

For now I would like to conclude with St. Paul’s words: “Put on…heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one… another as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And above all these, put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. Amen. http://stmaryvalleybloom.org/homilyforholyfamily13.html

Pope Francis’ Christmas MessagesVATICAN CITY — In his first Christmas urbi et orbi message, Pope Francis has issued impassioned pleas for peace in the Middle East and war-torn countries in Africa while also remembering children who are victims of war, the elderly, battered women, the sick, trafficked persons and refugees.

Addressing a large crowd of pilgrims from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope said that true peace is not a “balance of opposing forces,” nor a “lovely façade which conceals conflicts and divisions.” Rather, he said, peace calls for “daily commitment starting from God’s gift, from the grace which he has given us in Jesus Christ.”…more

The Deeper Meaning of ChristmasIn the days of Caesar Augustus, an era of peace was established in the Mediterranean world after centuries of strife. But this peace was forged by the proud ambition of emperors and the edge of their armies’ swords.

Upon this stage appears a baby acclaimed as king by eastern dignitaries. Neither Caesar nor Herod will brook any rivals. So brutal hordes are sent to slay Him at birth, though He himself comes without armies. The thugs are thwarted, but only for a season. For the royal child is laid in a manger, and the wood of that manger foreshadows the wood of the cross....more

The gospel continues the story of the wise men from the east, who under divine guidance came to Bethlehem to pay homage to the child Jesus. After their departure, again under divine guidance, Joseph is warned to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because Herod plans to kill the child. The family will remain in this land of refuge until the Lord calls his son out of Egypt just as the people of Israel were once called out.…more

The Feast of the Holy Family: Protecting the Presence of the Lord in Our FamiliesI pray that you all are having a wonderful celebration of Christmas. The Sunday after Christmas is usually the Feast of the Holy Family, the exception being when Christmas comes on a Sunday.

Let’s start today with a little story you might be familiar with. It is called the Luck of Roaring Camp, and was written in 1868 by Bret Harte. The story takes place in Roaring Camp, a camp of gruff, hard drinking, fierce, gold diggers. The men would kill someone sooner than they would ask a person his name. One day a pregnant and sick Indian lady stumbled into the camp. When she went into labor, two of the men were decent enough to try to help her. She died during the birth, but miraculously, the child, a boy, survived.…more

Fear of the Lord Confirms the Virtue of Hope

As we have seen in our previous discussions, the paradox of the gift of the fear of the Lord is that it is a fear that does not call us to cringe like slaves, but to rejoice in reverence of our Father as his children.…more

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Fear Not: Angels We Have Heard On HighChristmas is a reflective time for me for quite personal reasons. When I hear the carol, “Angels We Have Heard On High”, I am reminded that we never travel alone in this journey called life. I have proof.…more

Visions of the Child Jesus in the lives of the Mystic-SaintsMany of us have seen the holy cards or statues of Saints such as St Anthony and the young St Stanislaus Kostka for example, tenderly cradling the baby Jesus in their arms—but are we familiar with the beautiful true stories behind these depictions?…more

The Hills Are Still AliveAlong a scenic stretch of Mountain Road in Stowe, Vt., amid the neatly-kept shops and homes, a painted wood sign stands out, showing a large white Host suspended over a gold chalice.

It’s an uncommon sight in Vermont, which holds the dubious distinction as the least-religious state in the union, but this is the town of Stowe, where the influence of the staunchly Catholic Maria von Trapp and her large family of The Sound of Music fame still echoes through the hills.…more

Confession and EmbarrassmentWhen people ask me, or indeed anybody else, “Why did you join the Church of Rome?” the first essential answer, if it is partly an elliptical answer, is, “To get rid of my sins” (G.K. Chesterton).

Cecilia was working on something for school. “Papa,” she asked, “what was your most embarrassing moment?”

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Probably not, because to live the gospel is to extend Christ’s love universally and without qualification. His Holiness practices daily ecumenism because his focus is on people’s gifts and needs, not categories of acceptability.…more

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Six More Reasons Why Everyone Should Have kids

Last August, I wrote about why everyone should have kids. At several points in the combox, I was called out for being selfish. According to both troll and pleasant soul, the reasons I provided in said post were all about me. It got me thinking, perhaps I am guilty of such crimes?

And so, here’s a remix of version one, a 180 degree response with the least amount of me as possible.…more

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There, she is “absolutely 100% focused on the Lord.”

Neumann is among a growing number of young adults meeting the Lord in adoration as a close friend with whom they share an intimate conversation.…more

Coming to Our Senses: The Moral Sense of ScriptureDiscussing the moral sense of Scripture should seem easy. After all, we’re talking “The Good Book” here. Even when many Americans abandoned Christianity as supernatural revelation from God, they for the past couple generations still tended to treat the Bible as a solid moral code with some lingering respectability. Martin Luther King, Jr. could still appeal to it and not get hooted off the stage as recently as 40 years ago.…more